According to the data, which relates to 2011-12 (July-June), five per cent population on the bottom rung had an average monthly per capita expenditure (MCPE) of Rs 521.44 in rural areas and Rs 700.50 in urban areas.

On the other end of the spectrum, top five per cent of the population had an MPCE of Rs 4,481 in rural areas and Rs 10,282 in urban areas.

The National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) 68th round of survey is based on samples consisting of 7,496 villages in rural India and 5,263 urban blocks except some remote areas, during July 2011-June 2012, the release said.

On an average on the all-India basis, MPCE was around Rs 1,430 for rural India and about Rs 2,630 for urban India.

“Thus average urban MPCE was about 84 per cent higher than average rural MPCE for the country as a whole, though there were wide variations in this differential across states,” it said.

For the average rural Indian, food accounted for 52.9 per cent of the value of consumption during 2011-12. This included 10.8 per cent for cereals and cereal substitutes, 8 per cent for milk and milk products, 7.9 per cent on beverages, refreshments and processed food, and 6.6 per cent on vegetables, the release said.

For the average urban Indian, 42.6 per cent of the value of household consumption was accounted for food, including 9 per cent by beverages, refreshments and processed food, 7 per cent by milk and milk products, and 6.7 per cent by cereals and cereal substitutes.

Education accounted for 6.9 per cent, fuel and light 6.7 per cent, conveyance 6.5 per cent, and clothing and footwear 6.4 per cent.

The data is amongst the most important measures of the level of living and are crucial inputs for estimation of prevalence of poverty by the Planning Commission.

These indicators by the NSSO are amongst the most important measures of the level of living of the people and are crucial inputs for estimation of prevalence of poverty by the Planning Commission.
Meanwhile, the all-India estimate of average Monthly Per Capita Expenditure (MPCE) was around Rs 1,430 for rural India and about Rs 2,630 for urban India, National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) said.

The average urban MPCE was about 84 per cent higher than average rural MPCE for the country as a whole, though there were wide variations in this differential across states, it said.

The NSS consumer expenditure survey aims at generating estimates of household and its distribution, separately for states and other socio-economic groups.

The survey said only about 10 per cent of the rural population reported household MPCE above Rs 2,296 and merely 5 per cent above Rs 2,886. It also said only about 10 per cent of the urban population reported household MPCE above Rs 4,610 and merely 5 per cent reported MPCE above Rs 6,383.

At the all-India level, average wages received by regular wage and salaried employees was Rs 396 per day which was Rs 299 in rural areas and Rs 450 in urban areas, it said.

In rural areas, wages received per day by a regular wage salaried employee was Rs 322 for males and Rs 202 for females, indicating female-male wage ratio as 0.63, it said.

In urban areas, it was Rs 470 for males and Rs 366 for females, indicating the female-male wage ratio as 0.78, the survey said.